Research of a PVA composite ultrafiltration membrane used in oil-in-water Original Research Article

A composite ultrafiltration membrane with a thin hydrophilic-layer was prepared by interfacial polymerization of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA), piperazine and terephthalyl chloride on the polyether sulfone (PES) support membrane. The effects of the ratio of two monomers, piperazine and terephthalyl chloride, the concentration of SDS, sodium carbonate and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) were investigated on the best composite membrane performances. Infrared spectra showed that PVA exist in the surface layer and the polyamide-PVA/PES composite UF membrane with better water flux and anti-fouling to protein and oil was obtained when it was compared with polyamide/PES composite without PVA.